This year’s Paris Olympics has left a bitter taste in some people’s mouths. From Olympians struggling with poor living conditions to athletes becoming sick from swimming in the contaminated River Seine, there has been an endless list of issues with the conditions at this year’s games. But the biggest backlash from viewers during this Olympics has been over the blatant discrimination against athletes of color, specifically towards the Algerian female boxer Imane Khelif and Chinese swimmer Pan ZhanLe. Read on for a breakdown of the discrimination against these two Olympians and the systemic consequence of prejudice in sports.
Gender Discrimination Against Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif competed in a boxing match against Italian boxer Angela Carini, who dropped out within 46 seconds after claiming she received one of the hardest punches of her life. Italian officials quickly took to social media to claim that Imane did not pass an unspecified gender eligibility test and that the International Boxing Association (IBA) disqualified her from participating in the World Boxing Championships last year for failing the test. Fortunately, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) did not consider the IBA’s unspecified gender eligibility testing results because of numerous complaints against the governing body. But this resulted in Khelif experiencing blatant gender discrimination that was rooted in transphobia; social media flooded with claims that Khelif is a man and should not have been allowed to compete in women’s events.
A day before their match, Hungarian boxer Luca Hamori posted a very unflattering photo of a muscular man in boxing gear, who was supposed to represent Khelif. The Algerian National Football Team took to Twitter to call out the blatant gender discrimination from Hamori to the IOC. Unfortunately, the harassment did not end there; notable public figures such as JK Rowling and Elon Musk further shared transphobic comments about Khelif to their millions of followers on social media. The harassment went as far as creating an online campaign to fundraise money for Carini, which was titled “Standing with Angela Carini.” The IBA ultimately decided to treat Carini as an Olympic winner by announcing that she would receive the $50,000 prize despite dropping out of the race. The IBA president also said, “I do not understand why they killed women’s boxing. Only eligible athletes should compete in the ring for the sake of safety”.
The ongoing bullying Khelif has faced leads to a bigger question about womanhood and how it can be weaponized against women of color. White supremacy, the idea that Whiteness is superior to everything else, is the foundation of our understating of gender. We tend to forget that just like race, gender is a man-made idea that is rooted in discriminating against anyone who does not fit the social standard of a man or a woman. White women by default are granted the privileges of womanhood, but for women of color, that reality is not automatic. This is why Imane Khelif’s gender was questioned, as she does not fit our conditioned understanding of what a woman should look like. It is also why White women’s tears are coddled at the expense of women of color, which explains why Angela Carini is receiving public support despite stirring this controversy.
Racial Discrimination Against Chinese Swimmer Pan ZhanLe
Another incident that upset Olympic viewers was the blatantly racially-charged remarks against Pan ZhanLe, who broke his record and won gold in the 100-meter freestyle Olympic competition. ZhanLe was accused of taking drugs to enhance his swimming abilities after an Australian Olympic coach claimed that the record he broke was “not humanly possible” and that “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” After losing in a relay race to the Chinese, English Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty also commented on the new record by claiming, “There’s no point in winning if you don’t win it fair.” Due to a previous history of doping within the Chinese National Swimming Team, some people felt comfortable speculating about ZhanLe’s win, despite the numerous drug tests he went through and his lack of involvement in the previous doping scandal.
This incident caused an uproar online because Chinese swimmers are already subjected to the most amount of drug testing than athletes from other countries. World Aquatics, the international swimming governing body, claimed that since the start of the year, the Chinese swimmers in Paris have actually been tested an average of 21 times, more than any other nation.
People also pointed out that when decorated Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps was breaking records, no one questioned him — if anything he was labeled as superhuman and praised. ZhanLe deserves the same grace.
This form of racial discrimination is rooted in White supremacy because of the conditioned belief that no one is supposed to be better than White people. Any form of excellence from people of color is a direct contradiction to Whiteness being the greatest which results in White fragility. What is insidious about White fragility is that it can systemically be weaponized against people of color. In this scenario, the Chinese Swimming Team is subjected to the most amount of drug tests which can negatively impact their overall performance, especially if their sleep is constantly interrupted. Another systemic impact is the fact that notable news publications released articles centering on Adam’s accusations of ZhanLe, which further informs the public perception of the Chinese Swimming Team’s connection to doping. One of the greatest accomplishments of ZhanLe’s career was completely overshadowed because of White fragility.
Fighting back against discrimination not only in the Olympics but in sporting events in general is needed to ensure the access and retention of athletes of color in the athletic world. It is already incredibly difficult for athletes who come from countries with limited athletic resources to access and participate in certain sports. Access to state-of-the-world athletic facilities and equipment is a privilege not afforded to everyone interested in pursuing sports. The additional layer of facing discrimination, after going through hurdles to even qualify for the Olympics, can discourage athletes of color from staying in their sport. It also sends the wrong message to upcoming athletes and discourages them from pursuing their sport of interest altogether. If athletes of color are somehow managing to excel despite the discrimination, just imagine how much they could unlock their fullest potential without this barrier.
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